Search Results for: digital transformation

July 16, 2019

The workplace of tomorrow redefined by learning and AI

by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Technology, Workplace

Unily has released a report analysing the trends and issues shaping the workplace of tomorrow. The report, ‘Future of the Workplace 2030+’, has been co-created with the futurist Anne Lise Kjaer, a regular on the TED Talks circuit best known for the book The Trend Management Toolkit. Looking at the transformation of our working lives over the next 10 years and beyond, the report explores both the challenges and the opportunities as companies prepare for a new wave of technological advances and a new generation of workers. It sets out specific challenges including how to incorporate Generation Z in the workplace, integrate new technology and face greater scrutiny of organisational values. It also suggests that new jobs will emerge such as ‘Vice President of No’, ‘Professional Rebel’ and ‘Ideas Broker’. More →

July 12, 2019

UK adults prioritise workplace culture over salary

by Jayne Smith • News, Workplace

Glassdoor has released a new survey that claims to measure sentiment around mission and culture in the workplace, along with the level of importance of both. Glassdoor surveyed over 1,000 adults in the UK (and a further 4,000+ in U.S., France and Germany) and, among key findings, claims 77 percent of people would consider a company’s mission and purpose before applying for a job there, and 57 percent say workplace culture is more important than salary when it comes to job satisfaction. More →

July 11, 2019

HMRC extends deal for new London hub

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) today completed the topping out at the 12-storey office where HMRC will establish a new Regional Centre. HMRC has also leased a further 58,000 sq. ft. to become the sole tenant of the 300,000 sq. ft. development next to Westfield Stratford City. The topping-out ceremony was attended by senior executives from Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, HMRC and Legal & General, which has funded the development. the offices are located above the shopping centre at Westfield Stratford City. Works continue with completion of the facade and internal works, in preparation for handover of office floors for final fit out by HMRC. More →

June 25, 2019

Dublin EFMC conference brings together the facilities world

by Freddie Steele • Facilities management, News

The Aviva Stadium in Dublin hosted from 13th to 14th June the 27th Edition of EFMC, the European Facility Management Conference. The event, held for the first time in the Irish capital, has brought together international experts of the FM sector and has served as a platform of communication amongst facilities managers, suppliers, Universities and associations. The event culminated with tours of One Microsoft Place and the offices of Google in the Irish capital. In the closing ceremony it was announced that EFMC 2020 will be held in Barcelona. More →

June 13, 2019

AI is the biggest business disruptor on world stage

by George Eltringham • News, Technology

AI and its transformational effect on the global business landscape was the dominant theme on day one of the UK Asia Tech Powerhouse Conference. Transforming urban mobility thanks to rapidly growing cities, and how Asian cities are leading the march towards a digital future also featured in the first of the two-day event, with influencers from across trade, investment and technology, including Singaporean entrepreneur Annabelle Kwok and Mark Purdy, Accenture’s Group Chief Economist and Managing Director at Accenture Research. More →

May 27, 2019

BCO announces winners of North of England property awards

by Neil Franklin • News, Property, Workplace design

Manchester-based businesses dominated the BCO Northern Awards with Hanover, PwC Manchester and No. 1 Spinningfields all being recognised as some of the best workplaces in the North of England at the annual British Council for Offices (BCO) regional property sector awards held at The Principal Hotel in Manchester. In addition to the three winning buildings, 35 Dale Street in the city’s Northern Quarter also received Highly Commended in the Best Refurbished/ Recycled Workplace category. Janet Nash House, Durham and Live Works, Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the North East were recognised as two of the best workplaces in the North. More →

April 25, 2019

Space Matrix becomes the strategic Asia Pacific partner for The United Workplace

by Freddie Steele • Company news, Workplace design

Space Matrix, a major design and build workplace consultancy in Asia Pacific has joined The United Workplace (TUW), a global network of workplace consultancies and designers. The United Workplace’s existing partners include Fourfront Group in Europe, Amicus in Australia and New Zealand, Summertown in the Middle East, Ware Malcomb in the USA and Contract Workplaces in South America. Founded in 2001, Space Matrix is a dynamic, agile digital enterprise specialising in workplace design. The company operates from 14 office locations in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore (HQ) and New York. The firm has completed work across 55 cities, employs over 400 professionals globally and continues to push the boundaries in workplace transformation. More →

March 27, 2019

New book on the future of work argues that the office is not just surviving, but thriving

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, Flexible working, News, Property, Workplace design

A new book from RIBA Publishing, which examines the future office, argues that despite predictions that the office is on the verge of extinction, it is not only surviving, but thriving. Digital technologies have spurred this transformation, and with it, the metamorphosis of our entire working environment. The office of today can vary from a sweeping open expanse of ergonomic, futuristic workstations, to a local coffee shop. Future Office: Next-Generation Workplace Design debates tradition, change, and the future of how we work and where.

March 15, 2019

How artificial intelligence changes occupant experience

by David Karpook • Facilities management, Features, Technology

If a robot received a signal that you had entered the building, it might bring you a fresh cup of coffee just as you reach your desk. If the front door recognised your face, it might unlock itself for you without requiring you to use a fob to gain access. If your desk knew you had left for the day, it might offer itself to a colleague who is looking for a quiet workspace. Throughout history, the interaction of humans with technology has been pretty much one-sided. We turn our technologies on and off, operate and guide them in their tasks, and use our senses to monitor their functioning and detect anomalies.

March 6, 2019

Beware the great apex fallacy of workplace design ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working, Furniture, Technology, Workplace design

Of all the memes and narratives that corrupt public discourse about workplace design, the most pernicious is the one that suggests there is a linear evolution to some grand end point called the Office of the Future. There is a natural human inclination to buy this sort of idea, fed by an assumption that what we find most interesting, aspirational and hence what we read and talk about forms a goal. Read any style magazine and you’ll see the same process at work in every facet of our lives. This is why so many people are quick to consume and then regurgitate the idea that what we see happening in the world’s great tech palaces and creative offices represents the apogees of design to which the rest of us must one day succumb. More →

February 27, 2019

Digitisation and culture of uncertainty lead employees to seek stability

by Sara Bean • Automation, Technology, Workplace

Job security is the top reason employees in the UK joined their company, and also the main reason they stay, according to Mercer’s 2019 Global Talent Trends study. With close to one in three employees being concerned that AI and automation will replace their job, senior managers are also worried about the effects of digitisation, with nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of executives in the UK predicting t significant disruption in the next three years, compared to 23 percent in 2018. Mercer’s global findings reveal a similar story finding that as executives focus on making their organisations “future-fit”, significant human capital risks – including the ability to close the skills gap and overcome employee change fatigue – can impede transformation progress. Addressing these concerns is paramount, given that less than one in three executives rate their company’s ability to mitigate the effect on employees as very effective.

January 31, 2019

Get ready for the next wave of technological innovation, or get left behind

by Bruce Barclay • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Technology

The natural world is a story of constant change and evolution. Animals, plants, insects and micro-organisms exist in an ecosystem, adapting to relentless changes in their environment, influenced by habitat, climate and their cohabitors. They respond to change faster than the human world, because they are not tied by the same restraints and conventions. They are interdependent and reliant on each other, competitors and cohabitors for mutual advantage. As humans move into what has been called the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there is much we can learn from nature, particularly within the workplace environment. The transformation of an organisation’s real estate, facilities management, IT and HR functions into a workplace ecosystem, as proposed by the Stoddart Review, has been discussed for some time.